Art World
Confusingly Huge and Ugly Public Sculpture of Queen Nefertiti Taken Down in Egypt
Amah-Rose Abrams
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In the last few months there has been an unseemly amount of ugly public sculpture going up, being halted, and in some cases literally being torn down.
This week a very ugly statue of Queen Nefertiti has been taken down in Samalut, Egypt following public outcry.
The huge lemon yellow monument, which stood at a junction in the city, was intended to be a reproduction of the 1345 BC bust of Nefertiti.
Comparisons to Frankenstein have been made online.
Can you spot the difference?
Photo: via Cairo Post
Angry residents—who demanded that the artwork representing one of the greatest beauties to have ever lived be removed—also defaced the monument.
Some offended parties got creative in their frustration, uploading stylized images of the statue in a 1960s wig.
Some angered parties got creative
Photo: via Cairo Post
Others took to Twitter making references to Spain’s botched Ecce Homo fresco, and calling for Isis to tear it down, no questions asked.
Governor Salah el-Din Ziyada condemned the sculpture in the Cairo Post.
“[The sculptors have] failed [to present the bust] in its original image, known for its beauty and precise Egyptian facial features,” he stated.
Zidaya went on to say that he would hold those—unnamed—parties responsible to account by putting them under investigation.
There have been reports that the monument will be replaced with a dove of peace.
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